The Learning Academy, 18370 Limestone Creek Road: a public charter school for students with autism ages 3 to 21, with 188 students on Aug. 24.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: the school’s website and its admissions page, the School District of Palm Beach County’s 2026-27 charter school directory and 11th Day Enrollment Report, Els for Autism and the federal NCES school directory.

The Learning Academy is a public charter school for students with autism spectrum disorder, ages 3 to 21, on The Els Center of Excellence campus on Limestone Creek Road. It is tuition-free and sponsored by the School District of Palm Beach County, and it has no attendance zone: families apply. The campus has a Jupiter mailing address but sits in unincorporated Palm Beach County just outside town limits, according to the district’s municipal boundary map. The school opened in August 2009, according to the district’s charter directory.

Who to call

  • School office: 561-296-1776, 18370 Limestone Creek Road, Jupiter, FL 33458
  • School website: tlacad.org; general email info@tlacad.org
  • Admissions: admissions@tlacad.org, or by mail to The Learning Academy, Attn: Admissions, at the address above
  • Sponsoring district: School District of Palm Beach County, 561-434-8000
Address 18370 Limestone Creek Road, Jupiter, FL 33458
Phone 561-296-1776
Ages and grades Ages 3 to 21; pre-K to 12 in district and federal records
School day 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the district’s charter directory
Type Public charter school for students with autism

Who runs it

The school’s staff page lists Toby Honsberger as executive director and Kathryn Steele as assistant principal and ESE coordinator. The district’s charter directory lists Honsberger as the school’s principal.

The Learning Academy and Els for Autism, the nonprofit behind the campus, are separate entities, according to the Els for Autism FAQ. The foundation says students 3 to 14 attend in the campus’s Rupert Education Wing and the upper school, for students 14 to 21, is in the Shanken Education Wing.

Admission

From the school’s admissions page:

  • Who is eligible: students ages 3 to 21 whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) lists autism spectrum disorder as their primary eligibility. The school will not enroll a student serving a current suspension or expulsion from another school.
  • How to apply: submit the TLA Application for Admission, in English or Spanish, by email to admissions@tlacad.org or by mail. The page also links the district’s registration form.
  • The lottery: applicants go on a waiting list. Applying does not hold or guarantee a seat. When a classroom has space, the opening is filled by a peer-match lottery from the waiting list, because classrooms are grouped by student needs.
  • Students from other counties can apply through controlled open enrollment and are placed on a separate waiting list, behind Palm Beach County students.

Enrollment and teachers

  • District count: 188 students in pre-K through 12th grade on the 11th day of the 2026-27 school year (Aug. 24, 2026), according to the district’s 11th Day Enrollment Report.
  • Federal count: 125 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about five students per teacher. The school’s About Us page lists low student-to-teacher ratios among its supports.

State rating

The Learning Academy does not appear in the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file, so it has no A to F letter grade. The district’s 2026-27 charter school directory lists its state school improvement rating instead: Maintaining in 2026 and 2025, Commendable in 2024 and Maintaining in 2022. Other state data on the school can be searched on the Florida school report cards site.

What students study

The school says its program is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis, with instruction in English, math, science and social studies, plus physical education, golf, music, art, vocational and life skills training, social language instruction and community-based instruction, according to its About Us page.

Calendar

The district’s charter directory lists the school day as 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ask the school for its calendar. The district’s own 2026-27 key dates are in our Jupiter schools guide.

More on Jupiter schools

Frequently asked questions

Who can attend The Learning Academy at the Els Center of Excellence?

Students ages 3 to 21 whose Individual Education Plan lists autism spectrum disorder as their primary eligibility, according to the school’s admissions page. It does not enroll a student serving a current suspension or expulsion.

How does admission to The Learning Academy work?

Families submit the school’s application by email to admissions@tlacad.org or by mail. Students go on a waiting list, and openings are filled by a peer-match lottery as classroom space becomes available.

Does The Learning Academy charge tuition?

No. It is a tuition-free public charter school sponsored by the School District of Palm Beach County.

Does The Learning Academy have a state school grade?

No letter grade. It does not appear in Florida’s 2026 school grades file; the district’s charter school directory lists its state school improvement rating as Maintaining for 2026.